“Whakka Whakka, this is Africa!”

Week 12 Cultural

After a great night of exchanging stories and filling each other in on what we had been getting up to we decided to actually go and see what the girls had been doing whilst they had been staying in Zambia.  Although lying beside the pool was extremely tempting we resisted the temptation and made our way to the orphanage the girls had been volunteering at for the past three months.  The children at the orphanage really enjoyed being read to, so Amy and Jess took a seat on the ground and began to read a few children’s story books.  The children were mesmerized by the colourful big books and listened attentively to the girls read a few classics such as Goldilocks and three bears and my favourite The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. 

The children earlier that day had been given a chess set in which they took great pleasure making up their own game. One of the children asked me to teach him how to play and so I sat down and explained the rules and we began to play.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know some of the children at the orphanage and could understand why Amy and Jess continued to come here week and after week and give up their own time to play and have fun with these incredible children. 



Later that day we headed to the local markets to buy some material and try some local cuisine.  I was really looking forward to giving bartering a go and trying to haggle with the local traders, however I had not yet experienced the wonder that is the Zambian Kwacha. I have never in my life used a 50,000 note before and could not comprehend that this was worth about £7.50.  I didn’t even attempt to work out exchange rates and looked to Amy and Jess to help me understand if I was paying too much for something or too little.    

Later that day we headed to the local markets to buy some material and try some local cuisine.  I was really looking forward to giving bartering a go and trying to haggle with the local traders, however I had not yet experienced the wonder that is the Zambian Kwacha. I have never in my life used a 50,000 note before and could not comprehend that this was worth about £7.50.  I didn’t even attempt to work out exchange rates and looked to Amy and Jess to help me understand if I was paying too much for something or too little.    

Map???

The next day Amy was determined to take us to the bush for a hike to a gorge she had visited with some friend’s earlier that month.  So using a map drawn on a used cardboard box we headed off into the bush!  Let’s just say we were all feeling slightly un-easy as Amy doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to directions!  After a very bumpy ride in a taxi we were left to fend for ourselves in the African bush.  After several detours, Amy finally recognised the correct path and we were greeted with a spectacular view of the gorge that stretches beyond Victoria Falls.  Much to everyone to the enjoyment of everyone else I provided some entertainment by re-creating several scenes from the Lion King.



Amy thinks she has found the gorge...

 

Lost???

 



Pride Rock..





What a view?



I can safely say Easter Sunday was definitely an eventful day and the girls celebrated by completing the bungee jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge.  Jess’s family who were visiting over the Easter break also joined us to watch the girls plummet 119 feet into the Zambezi River! I cannot describe how entertaining it was to watch the girls jump from the bridge.  As expected Amy screamed from the minute she left the platform until she arrived safely back onto the bridge.  The girls also decided to face the gorge swing, and zip line which left Paddy and green with envy; however we had already decided to save our money and jump the world’s largest bungee back in South Africa.

On Monday we decided it was time to venture to the famous Victoria Falls and luckily we entered the park for free courtesy of Jess’ parents, as all guests staying at the Royal Livingstone Hotel could enter the park for free and bringing as many guests as wanted.  We explored the various routes such as the boiling pot and paths leading around he falls but I cannot describe the feeling of standing on ‘Knife Edge Bridge,’ and getting absolutely soaked.  All we were missing was the shower gel and shampoo as the water was so strong it seemed we were all walking through a power shower.  I was glad that Paddy seen some sense as he decided that travelling over the falls in a barrel would probably not be a good idea.



At the boiling pot..




 



at the top of Victoria falls...



On Tuesday Amy, Jess and I travelled to the Zimbabwe to explore and observe the falls from the neighbouring country.    After seeing the falls in Zambia, I was unsure of what to expect in Zimbabwe, however I was completely blown away by the beauty and power of the biggest waterfall in the world.  We spent a few hours exploring the falls and then ventured into the town to visit the local craft market to pick up a few souvenirs to take home!  After lunch we decided to head back to Zambia before it started to get dark and on our way back to the border, we witnessed two elephants simply walking about 400 yards from the footpath.  Amy and Jess couldn’t believe how excited I was to see elephants just walking around in the open bush and I explained that it was the first time I had seen them this close and not in a zoo, it was definitely a spectacular moment!

 

Of course the evenings in Zambia were jam packed with entertained and much to Amy’s delight we tended to braai quite a lot.  Paddy used the skills he had learnt in South Africa to give Amy and Jess a taste of what a real South African braai is suppose to be about.  It has been great so far getting to catch up with the two girls in Zambia and share our experiences of the differing cultures that our found in this diverse continent.  We had thoroughly enjoyed our time here so far and cannot wait to see what the rest of the holiday has in store.

It is hard to believe that we only have one month left before we return home, but I’m sure there will be plenty to see and do in that short period of time!

Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.

Teaching Practice

Week 11 Professional

The weather has changed significantly in the past week here in PE, South Africa, we are finding the evening are quite cold and even Paddy has to put on pair of trousers every now and again.  We still however, are experiencing beautiful sunshine during the day, and are continuing to enjoy the African sun.  On Sunday I attended a concert in the town hall with Leo, Sally and Daneel.  We enjoyed listening to the various pieces and were astounded at the ability of the soloist who seemed to have four hands playing the piano instead of two.

Teaching continued in Cape Recife on Monday and in the short week I have gained an insight on how the school works and the ability of the children that are in my class.  As I reflect upon my previous experiences of teaching at home there is no doubt that school based work in Northern Ireland is an extremely stressful and demanding time for most students and I would definitely agree with this mindset.  However, after completing the 5/6 weeks of late nights and early mornings you forget about this attitude and realise all the hard work is worthwhile and that this is indeed a great profession to be entering into. Although there are definite similarities in daily routine in relation to schooling at home, there seems to be a more relaxed about things such as paperwork and admin. 

As mentioned before I am teaching a Grade one class with twelve children, of which each individual has a special need that requires assistance that cannot be provided in the mainstream school.  The most challenging aspect of the teaching is definitely the pace of and timing of your lesson. Where it would normally take 30-45 minutes to complete a lesson for this age group in the mainstream school, it takes double the time and patience for instructions to be followed and tasks completed correctly.  It took me a few lessons to realise that the children in my class needed to be walked through each process together in order to understand what is being asked and how they were going to complete the work that was required.  Teaching in this particular class has made me increasingly aware of the importance of using correct language and vocabulary that caters the ability of the individual.  In essence I have realised that as a teacher you need to be able to effectively communicate to all your pupils at a level in which they understand and can recognise. 

Although English is the language in which all subjects are taught at the School; English for many is an additional language.  (Most of the pupils either have Xhosa or Afrikaans as first language) This issue itself has been a difficult barrier in not only the classroom but also the staffroom.    Over the past two weeks I’ve have learned to adapt and approach this barrier with enthusiasm making sure to approach each situation accordingly whether it be in the classroom or staffroom .  I believe this has been a tremendous opportunity for me as future teacher to become more aware of the problems and indeed the strategies you can use to help children that have English as an additional language.  Furthermore it has given me the opportunity to practice my own English making sure I pronounce all the sounds and words correctly avoiding as much confusion as possible.  The strategies and tools I am learning will also be useful for when I return home as in the past five years Northern Ireland has witnessed an increase in number of children that are entering our schools, where English is not there home or first language.

 Paddy, Juanita and I began our Easter trip to Zambia on Wednesday with a 13 hour drive to Johannesburg.    None of us were looking forward to the long and boring drive to Jo-burg, but apart from the frequent road works, Paddy and I were happy to see some more of the African countryside.



As our flight to Livingstone, Zambia, was the next day we stayed the night at a friend of Juanita’s, whose mum informed us of her open view on the diverse culture and society found in South Africa.  Let’s just say the topic of conversation was quite frank, but in many ways honest!  Debbie also introduced us to the many pets she owned, of which one was a Capuchin monkey!  On Thursday morning Paddy became a little too friendly with Mojo and as a result the monkey bit him on the thumb as Paddy would not give him his camera.  Debbie told us that Paddy wouldn’t need any injections as Mojo was a domestic animal and had been given all the necessary immunisations.  Luckily, Juanita was at hand to dress the wound and we shortly left for the airport. 

After a short flight we landed in Livingstone International Airport to be greeted by Amy and Jess who had prepared a banner for our arrival.  It was so good to see the two girls and we were all extremely excited for the fun week we had planned.  We made the short journey to Jollyboys to leave off our luggage before the girls took us on a short tour around the town and to the school they had taught in for the past three months.  It was quite interesting to draw immediate comparisons between South Africa and Zambia.  I felt like we had entered the ‘real Africa’ and as we walked through the streets of Livingstone I couldn’t help but think that we were going to experience something completely different and new.  As we had been travelling for the past day we decided to be lazy and go out for dinner to the local pizza parlour.  After dinner we headed back to Jollyboys to talk about and catch up with all that we’ve being doing in Africa.  We decided to sit up in the tree house and had a great time exchanging stories, some of which were extremely entertaining!

I’m sure the rest of the holiday will bring a few stories....

Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.

'Five little Speckled frogs'

Professional Week 10

NB:  I tried to upload weeks 10 and 11 before I left for Zambia, but as I'm Africa Internet connection tends to be an issue!

Competitors from all over the world converged in Port Elizabeth (PE) for one of the world's most physically demanding sports events -- Ironman South Africa. This is the only leg of the International Ironman Competition to be staged on the African continent consisting of a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle and a 42.2km marathon.   The competition began very early on Sunday morning and after our visit from the police officer we could have possibly made the journey down to watch the beginning of the race.  As the competition ended as late as midnight; many locals thought of the competition as more of a social gathering or event, rather than a serious athletic competition.  Along the sidelines you could see numerous people drinking, braai-ing and encouraging those taking part in the race, especially those wearing funny costumes and flip flops to persevere to the end.

Adam running 1/2 way through 42.2km

It takes months of dedicated training to compete in this event and competitors have 17 hours to complete all three disciplines. We were very fortunate to know someone that was taking part in this gruelling challenge, a local South African called Adam.  He alongside 1500, other athletes from 37 countries all across the world put their bodies through physical hardship to complete this tough race.   We spent most of the day watching the various elements within the race whilst supporting and encouraging Adam as much as we could.

Supporters Club

Adam at the finish line!

The heat was too much for some

With such a prestigious competition the city saw an influx of people and as a result our accommodation was full to capacity due to its prime location to the beach and the competition itself. Unfortunately during the course of the weekend our flat was robbed and Paddy’s camera and wallet were stolen from the coffee table. From our understanding Paddy was at the beach and I was in the bathroom, when the thief must have slipped in and out without me or anyone else in the building noticing.  After the incident we made our way to the nearest police station and filed a case report, to cover the insurance requirements.  This was an enlightening experience.  On Sunday we received an earlier wakeup call that we would have liked to have imagined but alas a detective from the police station wanted to follow up the case at 6.40am in the morning.  Let’s just say neither Paddy or myself were happy at the thought of someone coming this early in the morning to look at the flat and talk to us about what happened.

On Monday we began our block placement in Cape Recife High School for children with special educational needs.  I have been placed in a Grade 1 classroom under the direction of Ms Jill Hoskin.  As this is a special school, the pupils’ all have some need that could not be catered for in the mainstream classroom.  My class consists of twelve children, with a wide range in ability.  Many children have behaviour problems; some have speech and language problems and other children suffer from a physical disability such as cerebral palsy and brittle bone syndrome.

My first lesson concerned the introduction of a new numeracy topic, subtraction.   After the introduction and explanation of this mathematical concept the children completed the class activity, which involved the children removing fish from their individual ocean scene.  The children were asked to solve various problems as a class and then individually, depending on their awareness and understanding of subtraction.  The children thoroughly enjoyed this resource as they had various textures to feel, keeping each stimulated and focused on the task they were given. After the children completed the worksheet that the teacher asked me to include, I asked the children to come to the carpet  to discuss what we had learned so far and to also teach them the song, about  speckled frogs and how it can help us with subtraction.  They thoroughly enjoyed this part of the lesson. 

Although I felt the children gained a lot from this lesson, I realised that I needed to spend some more time in future taking the children through each step of each activity together as a class, to avoid confusion and frustration.  I definitely recognised what I needed to improve after the teaching of the lesson and gained valuable insight into the various abilities within the classroom.  As the week passed by I gained the knowledge and understanding of what each child needed in order to progress and develop effectively in their own learning and would incorporate this in my further planning. 

'hard at work'



Matthew pleased with his work

Throughout the week I was met by many challenges namely tantrums, however I feel it has helped me develop the tools that are required to effectively deal with such issues that are becoming more apparent in the  mainstream classroom.  The lack of resources has also been a challenge; as it has taken a tremendous amount of time to construct and make individual resources for each child in your class.  However, the children did enjoy the resource and I used it in several other lessons. It did make me wonder about all the expensive resources that we at home buy from catalogues, and that perhaps we should in future, make us of our imagination and creativity and create our own resources for our classrooms.  Although this is a special school it does lack the necessary equipment and funding that is needed to provide a sufficient learning environment to cater for the needs of every individual child.

I have faced many challenges whilst being in this school; these experiences have highlighted the strategies needed to overcome these barriers.  Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to develop my professional competencies particularly in relating to classroom management and working with other professionals.  All of these encounters will better aid me in my teaching in South Africa and indeed when I return home to Northern Ireland.

Every Wednesday evening the local yacht club, situated at the docks, offer free trips to the general public to sail on the open sea.  Of course we jumped at the chance to experience a bit of sailing, South African style. The sunset was beautiful and it was absolutely spectacular experiencing the scenery out at sea on a yacht.  Our crew kept us well entertained and gave us a short education, giving us a taste for what exactly you need to know when it comes to sailing on the open sea.  The South African crew were extremely friendly and encouraged us to come back again to learn and experience sailing in the windy bay of Port Elizabeth. 

I will leave you with a few sunset views we experienced on the open ocean in Port Elizabeth bay! 

Picture Perfect...



Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.